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07/19/2012

New National Fire Academy course on cultural competence in risk reduction uses NFPA programs as examples

The National Fire Academy (NFA) has a new six-day course that will help you reach diverse cultural groups in your community. It is specifically designed to connect fire and emergency service personnel with the many diverse cultural groups in the community that may not be easy to reach. It deals with cultural aspects such as nationality and language (other than English), although the principles of cultural competence taught in this course can be applied in any multicultural environment. Some of these groups may be hidden or underserved, or they may just be emerging in the community. It will also help you develop appropriate strategies to provide successful outreach and education to everyone. The course integrates four fundamental dimensions or building blocks of culture that correspond to four broad continua of cultural similarities and differences. Students apply these building blocks in many risk reduction interactions. These four building blocks of culture are:• Concept of self—individualist and collectivist• Personal versus societal responsibility—universalist and particularistic• Concept of time—monochromic and polychromic• Locus of control—internal and external

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The course applies a risk reduction model, which is used in several other NFA courses, as the context to discuss and interact with aspects of cultural competence. The cultural aspects that this course deals with are nationality and language (other than English), although the principles of cultural competence taught in this course can be applied in any multicultural environment. Students learn that these populations can be potentially hidden, underserved and/or emerging within their community(s).